Author: janeswalkwr

When: Sunday, May 4th 2025, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Meeting Point: 136 Wyndham Street North, Guelph

Walk Leader: Ariel Stagni, Byron Ready, Adam Rutherford

“200 years of American technology has unwittingly created a massive cement playground of unlimited potential, but it was the minds of 11-year-olds that could see that potential” – Craig Stecyk

Come walk with us for a unique opportunity to see downtown Guelph as skateboarders see it. Learn about the history and rich cultural heritage of street skateboarding in downtown Guelph. Why would people choose to skateboard downtown when the city has provided skateparks??

Look for the skaters with a Jane’s Walk sign, at the entrance to the pathway next to the old Post Office building at 136 Wyndham St N.

When: Sunday May 4th, 1:00-2:30pm

Meeting Point: At the City of Guelph Bus Stop on the north side of Niska Rd in front of the YMCA

Walk Leader: Laura and Kathy

Come walk with us down the historic Niska Rd. Learn about how this area has evolved from pre-colonization until present times. We will share what we know about how important citizen involvement and advocacy has been in protecting the Hanlon Creek Watershed. Learn about the history of the Kortright Waterfowl Park. Once a world class nature facility with 10,000 visitors a year it is now under threat of development. It was purchased with public money by the Grand River Conservation Authority and placed into the Hanlon Creek Conservation Area in order to protect it and to provide nature based experiences as Guelph grew and urbanized. Sadly, the conservation park plan was never implemented. Along our walk you can view this land and share your vision of how the land can be used for public benefit. Also view the beautiful Speed River. We will travel down Niska to the Speed River along the public sidewalk which is wheelchair accessible all the way to the river learning the history of the area and the road along the way. On the way back weather permitting we will walk along the trail at Ptarmigan through the forest viewing the Hanlon creek with its brook trout along the way. Our walks end at the starting point. This part of the walk may be muddy can be rough and is non wheelchair accessible. Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome. English will be spoken

Our walk will also be held on Saturday May 10 at 1 pm

When: Sunday, May 4th 2025, 1:00 – 2:30 pm

Meeting Point: 72 St. Leger Street (corner of St. Leger & Breithaupt Streets), Kitchener

Walk Leader: Lane Burman, Ted Parkinson

Ted Parkinson and Lane Burman will lead this walk through the Marvelous Mt. Hope-Breithaupt Park (MHBP) neighbourhood. In only a few blocks, just over a kilometre, we will discuss the history and development of our streets, businesses and industries. MHBP has been central to manufacturing furniture, buttons, tanning, pianos, stereos and more. And it is now a large part of the “Innovation” district with software companies and two stops on the ION route. As always, there will be time to meet and talk with neighbours along the way and everyone is welcome to share their stories..

When: Sunday, May 4th 2025, 10:30am – 12:00noon

Meeting Point: Veterans Green, Beech Street at Hazel Street

Walk Leader: Michael Druker

Northdale is the neighbourhood north of Wilfrid Laurier University and east of the University of Waterloo. It has been undergoing a remarkable master-planned transformation directly from a mid-century suburban subdivision to an urban mid-rise form. As we take a tour of the area, we will discuss its history and context, look at the iterations of planning approaches that are continuing to create the landscape, evaluate how it’s working, and discuss city-building lessons we can apply elsewhere.

When: Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 4:30 – 5:30pm

Meeting Point: 61 John St. E, corner of John and Willow

Walk Leader: Kae Elgie

Waterloo City Council recently gave citizens the right to build four dwelling units, up to four storeys high, on any residential lot anywhere in the city.

This walk will look at examples, and potential examples, of this type of gentle intensification and more ambitious intensification in the Mary Allen Neighbourhood. They will be looked at in the light of Jane Jacobs’ Ten Big Ideas.